Polo Ralph Lauren Corp.

Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation engages in the design, marketing, and distribution of lifestyle products primarily in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Japan. The company offers apparel products, including a collection of men's, women's, and children's clothing; accessories, including footwear, eyewear, jewelry, and leather goods, such as handbags and luggage; home furnishing products that include bedding and bath products, furniture, fabric and wallpaper, paints, broadloom, tabletop, and giftware; and fragrance products under Glamorous, Romance, Polo, Lauren, Safari, Blue Label, and Black Label brands. It sells its products to department stores, specialty stores, and golf and pro shops in the United States and Europe; full-price and factory retail stores located in the United States, Canada, Europe, South America, and Asia; and online through Polo.com. In addition, the company licenses its products, such as apparel, eyewear, and fragrances to third parties. As of March 31, 2007, it operated 147 full price retail stores, including 74 Ralph Lauren stores, 64 Club Monaco stores, and 9 Rugby stores; and 145 factory stores. The company was founded in 1967 and is based in New York, New York.

Company History
Born Ralph Lipschitz in 1939, the name of American designer Ralph Lauren has became synonymous with status, class, and taste. In 1968, he launched a menswear line, Polo, offering styles that were refined, a mix of English classic and traditional American, and conveyed the image of landed gentry to a society that had little use for class, but enormous use for money. In 1971 Lauren introduced his women's line, which developed into four lifestyle groups: collection, classics, country, and active. Eyewear was launched in 1974, boyswear and the fragrances Polo for men and Lauren for women in 1978. Girls' clothing was introduced in 1981; footwear followed in 1982; an extensive home collection in 1983; then came scarves, hosiery, sleepwear, leather goods, luggage, jewelry, and finally his Safari fragrance in 1990. One of the secrets of Lauren's success lay in his obsession with detail, always checking product quality and maintaining tight control over the brand image he crafted so carefully. This enabled him to leverage the Polo/Ralph Lauren brand with over 25 lucrative licensing contracts, as well as introduce sub-brands such as Polo Sport (in 1994) targeted to a younger, more active adult.

Political and Public Influence
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Corporate Accountability
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Domestic

 * 2002 -- class action lawsuit accusing the high-end retailer of illegally forcing its sales staff to spend thousands of dollars each year to dress in the company's latest fashions. Firm agreed to pay up to $1.5 million to settle lawsuit.
 * May 30, 2006 -- class action employment lawsuit filed in San Francisco Superior Court against Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation. The lawsuit alleges that Polo has engaged in practices that violate California labor & business laws, including failure to pay overtime, provide breaks, detaining workers after paid hours, etc.

Global
Policy: Campaigns against company: The letter called attention to "alleged attacks and death threats against striking workers at the Chong Won factory" and noted concern "that these alleged incidents appear to be part of a larger pattern of harassment and violence against workers, labour leaders and human rights promoters that could discourage companies from doing business with your country." The signatories include: American Eagle Outfitters, Gap Inc., Jones Apparel Group, Liz Claiborne Inc., Phillips-Van Heusen,    Polo Ralph Lauren, VF Corporation, Wal-Mart.
 * 1997: Adopted company code of conduct -- note that these Operating Guidelines are only available upon request; not publicly posted
 * 1997: ended manufacturing in Burma
 * 1998: revised Operating Guidelines to include 15 year old limit for workers and 60 hour maximum work week
 * unknown date -- company endorsed National Labor Committee's Maternity Leave Pledge in Bangladesh
 * 1999: Polo Ralph Lauren was defendant in lawsuit filed by Global Exchange and Sweatshop Watch on behalf of approximately 40,000 garment workers in Saipan. The suit alleged that workers faced repeated harassment, physical abuse, and poor working conditions in the South Korean-owned Sako factory, Global Manufacturing Incorporated, Diovra Saipan Limited, the Concord Garment Manufacturing Corporation, Jin Apparel Incorporated, and other companies that produced products for large U.S. retailers such as Cutter & Buck, Chadwick's of Boston Limited, Donna Karan International, Gap Inc., Gymboree, J. Crew, Phillips Van-Heusen,  Nordstrom, Polo Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, and Wal-Mart.  Polo Ralph Lauren chose to settle the suit out of court.
 * 1999: The Indonesian Prosperity Trade Union (SBSI), reports that 835 of its members have been fired by PT Aneka Garmentama, a clothing manufacturer in North Jakarta which produces for Gap Inc., Donna Karen, Eddie Bauer, Polo Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger. The workers were dismissed on August 12 after a one-month strike for fair compensation and after initiating grievance proceedings at the Department of Manpower. Labor rights advocates also will contact PT Aneka Garmentama]'s other major U.S. buyers and urge them to investigate the labor practices of the factory.
 * 2000: Workers at British Thai Synthetic factory in Thailand protest health and safety conditions, employment practices, and attempts to eliminate union. Through the Clean Clothes Campaign they pressured various buyers, including Polo Ralph Lauren, to assist the union in improving conditions.
 * 2001: On 13 December 2000, the Citra Abadi factory in Indonesia was hit by a strike involving about 4000 of its workers. The strike started when the management failed to give an Annual Bonus whereas in 1998 and 1999 all workers received such a bonus. PT Citra Abadi Sejati is a subsidiary of the Texmaco Group, producing for Nike, Levi Strauss & Co., H & M, Talbot's, Liz Claiborne, Inc., Dockers, Polo Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein.
 * 2003: Workers at Tarrant Me'xico - Ajalpan factory are involved in a dispute over unpaid wages, sackings and victimisation of union activists and conditions at work. This factory has 1,400 workers who assemble and sew denim clothing for well-known international brands such as Levi Strauss & Co., Tommy Hilfiger, Express and Limited Brands, Gap, Inc., Venezia Jeans, American Eagle Outfitters, Mossimo, Sonoma Jeans, Wal-Mart, Kmart, Calvin Klein, Polo Ralph Lauren, DKNY and others who have produced here.
 * 2004: On February 3th, 2004, PT Sarasa Nugraha Tbk., Balaraja Unit, a factory in Indonesia that produces for Polo Ralph Lauren, announced that it was closing down after workers demanded the annual wage increase provided for in their collective bargaining agreement. After pressure on buyers and management by the Clean Clothes Campaign, a settlement was reached in Oct. 2004 and the factory reopened in 2005.
 * 2007: A growing number of US apparel companies are expressing their concern that there is a pattern of harassment and violence against workers, labour leaders and human rights promoters in the Philippines. A November 2006 letter signed by 7 US apparel companies and addressed to HE Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, President of the Philippines, expressed their concern. 9 months later, the President has yet to respond. At the Maquila Solidarity Network's request, those 7 major US apparel companies – along with one more major company – renewed their call for an investigation in an August 3, 2007 letter.

Major reports: [http://www.cleanclothes.org/ftp/04-09-16-HKCIC-EPZ-Research.pdf Hong Kong Christian Industrial Committee. 2004. "Conditions of Women Workers in Special Economic Zones and Labour Standards in Supplier Factories of German Garment Retailer Companies and Brands in China"] [http://en.maquilasolidarity.org/en/issues/ca/transparency/TRC/2006 Maquila Solidarity Network. 2006. "Transparency Report Card"]

Business Scope
Lines of Business and Major Products Paragraph Units/Subsidiaries

Customers
Major department stores

Suppliers
Identified suppliers:
 * Katexindo Citra Mandiri, Indonesia
 * Esquel Group, Hong Kong

Competitors

 * Jones Apparel Group Inc.
 * Liz Claiborne, Inc.
 * Tommy Hilfiger Corporation

Financial Information (as of DATE)
Ticker Symbol: RL Main Exchanges: NYSE Investor Website: http://investor.ralphlauren.com/

Major direct holders:
 * 1) Ralph Lauren
 * 2) Roger N. Farah
 * 3) Jackwyn Nemerov
 * 4) Arnold H. Aronson
 * 5) Frank A. Bennack, Jr.

Top institutional holders:
 * 1) Janus Capital Management 3.54%
 * 2) Fidelity Management & Research Corp. 3.45%
 * 3) Vanguard Group 3.01%

From Yahoo Finance Profile Largest Shareholders

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Governance
Executives Board members/affiliations Executive director/compensation Date and venue of next AGM

Contact Information
650 Madison Avenue New York, New York 10022 U.S.A. Tel:1-212-318-7000 Fax:1-212-318-7690; 212-888-5780 http://www.polo.com

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